*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
Richard: An old song I vaguely seem to remember declared that “Too Much Is Not Enough”. Well, east Tennessee dirt racing is going to put that to the test in 2015 as the tracks in this area and the series’ that race on those tracks are in the process of releasing their schedules for the upcoming season, and those schedules are full.
Every year, I buy a planner calendar and write in all the different races I plan to keep track of. Then, I go back and highlight those races that I hope to attend throughout the season. I already have 52 special event dates highlighted for 2015, never mind whatever weekly shows might also be added to my schedule. That number is skewed by the fact that some of those races are not in east Tennessee and others will be held on the same day which means choices will have to be made when those dates roll around.
Nonetheless, there are a plethora of races on the schedule for this coming season. More races to choose from can offer plenty of positives for fans and drivers. But at the same time, there will have to be some careful planning on everyone’s part to make it all work out.
Michael: In looking at the schedules, a person could almost attend a special event every weekend from mid-March to early September. That is good for the fans and the racers that thrive on that constant scheduling. On the other hand, special event ticket pricing is higher than weekly racing tickets. Sometimes people have to make choices on which ones they can attend.
Several years ago when the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series would have races on back-to-back nights at Tazewell Speedway and Volunteer Speedway, I know some fans had to choose between one track or the other. They couldn’t afford to go both nights. I like it better now where those races are spread out, giving fans a chance to save their money and go to both. We still have a number of weekends with back-to-back races. But it’s easier for families to manage races with $15 tickets each night than it is $25 per ticket each night.
Richard: Excellent point regarding the ability of fans to buy tickets. There were occasions in 2014 in which there were busy weekends and it was apparent that patrons had been forced to make a choice between going on Friday night and going on a Saturday night.
One of the most difficult tasks tracks have when it comes to offering so many races is the need to schedule around each other’s dates. We saw last year that running similar races on the same night only detracts from the sport in the long run. Fans and drivers alike had to pick and choose which race they wanted to attend. Ultimately, fans missed out on at least one show while the competing tracks lost out on potential income.
But unless ‘vengeance’ is involved, scheduling the big shows around each other is not easy but it is doable. However, it is among the support classes where some give and take can prove to be beneficial.
We are blessed to have so many great tracks in our area. But that blessing can have some drawbacks if scheduling isn’t handled properly.
Michael: I have seen more cooperation among the tracks this past season than I can ever remember. I think a lot of that is we now have several tracks that only run special events. It can be easier for them to pick and choose dates, especially when a sanctioning body is involved. But it’s smart business. There is no reason to schedule your own special event on the same date as someone else’s special event within an hour or two radius of each other.
I have also seen the same level of cooperation when it comes to the “support” classes. Those numbers have been dwindling as well. When one track decides to offer a bigger purse for one or more of those classes, it makes sense for others to not run them that particular night. One of the worst things a track can do is be stubborn and stick with a class that only has two or three cars in it.
Richard: I agree. The drop off in numbers of some support classes is alarming and it does call for tracks to make arrangements with each so as not to have clashing events and causing each class to run with only a very few cars.
The bottom line is that we in east Tennessee have a good problem. There are no fewer than eight active tracks within a two hour drive of Knoxville. There are many places around the country in which fans have to drive that far just to get to one track.
